Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for operating a circulating memory that can be addressed via a write pointer and/or a read pointer.
Circulating memories that can be addressed via write and/or read pointers and are also referred to as circular buffers or memories are based on "normal" storage devices or memory areas configured for data storage. However, unlike normal memories, the write and/or read pointers are managed in such a way that they are automatically set to the beginning of the memory area when the end of the memory area is overshot, and are automatically set to the end of the memory area when the beginning of the memory area is overshot and, consequently, can never leave the memory area forming the circulating memory.
Such circulating memories have been known for a long time and need no further explanation.
The use of circulating memories proves to be advantageous particularly in the case of regularly recurring or repeated write and/or read operations, because the available memory can be utilized particularly efficiently and the writing in and reading out of data can be effected in a particularly fast and uncomplicated manner for lack of complicated write and read address management.
Regularly recurring or repeated write and read operations occur inter alia but, of course, nowhere near exclusively in digital signal processing, since a relatively large number of program loops have to be cycled through in digital signal processing owing to the regular structure of the algorithms used.
The program loops must be cycled through rapidly and in particular when the input data or signals are intended to be processed in real time. Experience shows that this is not easily possible even when circulating memories are used as storage devices.